Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time

A new game is to be released for Apple's iphone/ipod/ipad for Christmas. The platforms will see mobile games designer Tag Games release The Mazes of Time, which will be available from Apple's iTunes store.

The game will enable the player to take on the role of either the Doctor or Amy, and engage in action puzzles in which the time travellers race to save a family that has been attacked by a rogue Dalek. It is aimed for players aged six upwards, and has been written by Oli Smith, who was also responsible for the recent Nintendo games Evacuation Earth and Return to Earth.

The Head of Games Technology, Robert Henning, said:

Doctor Who is the UK's number one science fiction property, and I think it is in the BBC's top three for worldwide sales, so it is great to bring it to Dundee. Since we were established we have never done a game for ordinary retail — it has always been digital distribution. The digital model allows us to talk directly to our customers, so it is quite different from the traditional games model. We can get feedback from our customers and change and adapt things.

Doctor Richard Wilson, of games industry representatives TIGA, said:

This is fantastic news for Tag Games, and it demonstrates the level of creativity in the industry and it shows the government should be backing this important sector. But it is really encouraging to see a Dundee game company secure a licence like this.

Meanwhile, the existing Nintendo games have had mixed reviews, with the Wii version Return Earth reported by the Official Nintendo Magazine as failing to break the top ten games last weekend (it was number 11). Promotion for the titles is set to be cranked up in the lead-up to Christmas, with greater advertising on digital channels catering for children (e.g. CITV, Nickelodeon); a front-cover splash for Doctor Who Magazine has also been mentioned by promoters Koch Media.